Bears extend veteran LB despite poor Pro Football Focus rating

The Bears have locked up another key member of their defensive core. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the team has signed LB T.J. Edwards.

The new deal is worth $20M over two years. The extension contains $16.6M in guaranteed money. Edwards was entering the final season of a three-year deal he signed with Chicago in 2023.

That three-year pact came in at less than $7M annually and contained only $7.9M in guaranteed money, a contract that proved to be a bargain for the Bears. After transforming into a starter during his latter years in Philly, the former UDFA has continued his strong play in Chicago.

Edwards hasn’t missed a game for the Bears over the past two seasons, with the linebacker collecting 284 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus didn’t grade the veteran all that highly in 2024, but the site had him as the 11th-best linebacker in 2023. In 2024, PFF rated Edwards as the 107th-best LB (out of 189), giving him an average overall grade of 60.7.

This new contract will place Edwards just outside the top 10 among inside LBs, with the 28-year-old’s new $10M AAV ranking 14th at the position.

The Bears can now enter the draft knowing they have their starting LBs accounted for over the next few years. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds soaked up the majority of the snaps at the position in 2024, but the Bears could pursue a better contingency plan considering the lack of experience among the team’s other options (Amen Ogbongbemiga, Noah Sewell).

The Bears have been busy handing out extensions recently, as the team inked cornerback Kyler Gordon to a three-year, $40M deal the other day. With both Gordon and Edwards out of the way, left tackle Braxton Jones could be next in line for a pay day.